CCL8: Choreographic Thinking Input
By Choreographic Coding Lab
(text by Scott deLahunta)
Motion Bank bases its dance digitisation - data recording, analysis, visualisation - on background research into the choreographer’s own tools and methods and then finding ways to integrate this understanding into various approaches to the data.
[see other page coming soon for motion bank data and systems, also presented on Saturday]
This is the concept behind the ‘choreographic thinking input’ which we organise for each CCL.
For this CCL, ICKAmsterdam recommended the following guests/ choreographers: Andrea Božić, Eric Minh Cuong Castaing and Arno Schuitemaker. And dance researcher Suzan Tunca will present research from Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten, artistic directors of ICKAmsterdam and Ballet National de Marseille.
Each will give a short scheduled presentation of some selected tool or system (or non-system) they use in making dances, then be variously present during the CCL. In addition, some ICKAmsterdam performers will join us.
Below is a bit more information about each to give you an opportunity to see where your interest might be grabbed and inspired by a specific input. The times below may all shift some after we meet.
http://motionbank.org/
http://choreographiccoding.org/
The first presentation planned for 12 noon Sunday 7 May is on the system of ‘pre-choreographics’ developed by ICKAmsterdam which Suzan Tunca & the performers will present and demonstrate. The pre-choreographics were developed from a need Emio Greco & Pieter C. Scholten (EGPC) had to build a unique notation approach for their work. It has been through several versions and has its origins in the Double Skin / Double Mind interactive installation work, see a video of this installation here. Pre-choreographics is a formalisation of terms, categories, metaphors, types and modifiers used by the EGPC dancers to develop and train their capacity with specific movement qualities. The current system (now referred to as ABCdaire) has a total of 161 terms. Suzan will describe the system and show how training sessions were recorded and annotated (using motion bank PM2) and the performers will demonstrate. They will also be available for additional recording sessions. The data we have available includes a spreadsheet of terms, categories, etc. and these annotations. Attached is a paper (co-authored by Chris Ziegler who is participating in the CCL) describing how an earlier system was translated into the movement of physical objects. To read more and check out some videos. If you are interested in seeing the data spreadsheet before arriving we can send you a copy.
Second presentation planned for the afternoon (time to be determined) of Sunday 7 May is on the practice of ‘divided attention’ from Andrea Božić and Julia Willms from TILT. TILT has evolved a unique approach to dance as an expanded form of choreography focused on the reorganization of perception and stimulating questions about the effects of attention and imagination, perception of presence, the politics of viewing, presentation of reality and distribution of authorship. Andrea and Julia will share their practice of ‘divided attention’ which is central to their current work. Divided attention includes strategies such as looking in-between, zooming in and out at the same time, drawing in and distancing, and immersion and interruption at the same time. Attached is a chapter titled “unknowing what we know” with more details. The PDF describes the Spectra project, for which images and videos can be found here. The documentation of CUBE, part of Spectra, gives a good illustration of this choreography of attention: vimeo.
On Monday 8 May both Eric Minh Cuong Castaing and Arno Schuitemaker will make short presentations. Time to be scheduled.
Arno will be there on Saturday to meet everyone. He was an artist in residence with ICKAmsterdam, and you can find more information on his website. To get a taste of his work, we propose taking a look at these trailers.
Eric will arrive on Sunday evening and be present from Monday through to the end of the CCL. Eric is Associate Artist with Ballet National Marseille. You can find more information about his work with robots and drones amongst other things on his website.
Eric plans to bring his Oculus system and first person camera that he has been using to experiment with dancers and coders. For some insights into how this work looks in the studio. Here in French a short description: Delving bodies – corps en exploration -” est une ode tout autant qu’une mise à l’épreuve des corps virtuoses. Deux danseurs, dotés de lunettes recevant en temps réel les images enregistrées par une caméra fixée au front d’un troisième, « plongent » dans le regard de l’autre. Ce dispositif expérimental, évoquant le jeu vidéo immersif ou la réalité virtuelle, déstabilise leur perception et suscite un jeu de questions-réponses, des « pièges » tendus par le camera man aux trouvailles des interprètes s’appliquant à respecter de mystérieuses consignes, entre mimesis et interprétation. Face à ces « premières fois » déjouant la représentation et annonçant un nouveau spectaculaire, le spectateur peut s’apparenter à un arbitre d’un nouveau genre, spéculant cette épopée sensible des corps en recherche.